Related papers: How Low Can Q Go?
To make predictions for the existence of ``dark galaxies'', it is necessary to understand what determines whether a gas cloud will form stars. Star formation thresholds are generally explained in terms of the Toomre criterion for…
We compiled a sample of $1155$ protoplanetary disks, combining data from ten surveys of star-forming regions. Based on the sample, we constructed a power-law approximation of the disk mass distribution: $dN/dM \propto M^{-\beta}$, $\beta =…
We applied a criterion of gravitational instability, valid for two-component and infinitesimally thin discs, to observational data along the major axis for 7 spiral galaxies of early types. Unlike most papers, the dispersion equation…
The gravitational instabilities are important to the evolution of the disks and the planet formation in the disks. We calculate the evolution of the disks which form from the collapse of the molecular cloud cores. By changing the properties…
We point out a fundamental mismatch in the $Q$ stability parameter for Galactic discs: Toomre's $Q = 1$ defines the boundary between axisymmetric stability/instability, while simulations, observations, and theoretical expectations apply $Q$…
Fragmentation of protostellar disks controls the growth of protostars and plays a key role in determining the final mass of newborn stars. In this paper, we investigate the structure and gravitational stability of the protostellar disks in…
Star formation laws, like i.e. the Schmidt law relating star formation rate and total gas density, have been studied in several spiral galaxies but the underlying physics are not yet well understood. M51, as a nearby face-on, grand design…
We develop several aspects of the theory of gaseous astrophysical discs in which the gravity of the disc makes a significant contribution to its structure and dynamics. We show how the internal gravitational potential can be expanded in…
Observations of disk galaxies at z~2 have demonstrated that turbulence driven by gravitational instability can dominate the energetics of the disk. We present a 1D simulation code, which we have made publicly available, that economically…
The Goldreich and Ward (1973) (axisymmetric) gravitational instability of a razor thin particle layer occurs when the Toomre parameter $Q_T \equiv c_p \Omega_0 / \pi G \Sigma_p < 1$ ($c_p$ being the particle dispersion velocity).…
We explore various instability models for the onset of star formation in irregular galaxies. Critical gas densities are calculated for gravitational instabilities with a thin, pure-gas disk, and with a thick disk composed of gas and a…
Over the past 10 Gyr, star-forming galaxies have changed dramatically, from clumpy and gas rich, to rather quiescent stellar-dominated disks with specific star formation rates lower by factors of a few tens. We present a general theoretical…
A large fraction of the gas in the Galaxy is cold, dense, and molecular. If all this gas collapsed under the influence of gravity and formed stars in a local free-fall time, the star formation rate in the Galaxy would exceed that observed…
We present a new set of galaxy scaling relations for the relative mass content of atomic gas, molecular gas and stars. Such relations are driven by disc gravitational instability, and originate from the low galaxy-to-galaxy variance of…
The role of gravitational instability-driven turbulence in determining the structure and evolution of disk galaxies, and the extent to which gravity rather than feedback can explain galaxy properties, remains an open question. To address…
We carry out a large set of very high resolution, three dimensional smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) simulations describing the evolution of gravitationally unstable gaseous protoplanetary disks. We consider a broad range of initial…
A fundamental assumption in our understanding of disks is that when the Toomre Q>>1, the disk is stable against fragmentation into self-gravitating objects (and so cannot form planets via direct collapse). But if disks are turbulent, this…
The velocity dispersion of cold interstellar gas, sigma, is one of the quantities that most radically affect the onset of gravitational instabilities in galaxy discs, and the quantity that is most drastically approximated in stability…
[Abridged] Star and planet formation are the complex outcomes of gravitational collapse and angular momentum transport mediated by protostellar and protoplanetary disks. In this review we focus on the role of gravitational instability in…
We consider the dynamics of porous icy dust aggregates in a turbulent gas disk and investigate the stability of the disk. We evaluate the random velocity of porous dust aggregates by considering their self-gravity, collisions, aerodynamic…